Machine for cutting butter.



No. 818,770. f PATENTED APR. 24, 1906'. E. J. 'LUHMAN.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING BUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED IBB.21, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 mwwtoz No. 818,770. PATENTED APR. 24, 1906. E. J.LUHMAN.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING BUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.21, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UN ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING BUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 24, 1906.

Application filed February 21,1906. Serial 110,302,234.

To ulZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD J AMES LUH- MAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco andState of California, have invented new and useful Improvements inMachines for Cutting Butter, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to apparatus for cutting butter, soap, andanalogous substance, and it contemplates the provision of an apparatusthrough the medium of which a block or mass of butter or similarsubstance may be expeditiously and easily cutinto aplurality of smallcubes.

The invention will be fully understood from the following descriptionand claims when the same are read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure l is aside elevation illustrating the apparatus constituting the present andpreferred embodiment of my invention as the same appears when ready foruse. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the machine with the upright memberof the carrier removed. Figs. 3 and 4 are elevations of the two membersof the carrier. Fig. 5 is an elevation illustrating the opposite side ofthe wire frame to that shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 6 is a detail elevationof a portion of the main frame of the apparatus.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the views of thedrawings, referring to which A is the main frame of the apparatus. Thesaid main frame comprises side bars a and cross-bars b, interposedbetween and fixed to the side bars, and is provided in the upper edgesof the side bars at intermediate points in the length thereof with.notches c, the outer end walls (Z of which are inclined, as best shownin Fig. 6, for a purpose presently set forth.

B B are guides fixed to and rising from the upper edges of theframe-bars a. There are two guides B on each frame-bar, and the saidguides are arranged about the proportional distance apart illustrated inFig. 1 and are provided with inwardly-directed arms 0.

C is the carrier of the apparatusi. e., the means for carrying andmoving the mass or block of butter or analogous substance to be cut. Thesaid carrier C comprises a member f and a member g, which are detachablyengaged with each other for a purpose hereinafter made clear. The memberf is in the form of a flat board and is provided with re duced edges 71and with a recess 1', the latter being formed in the upper side of themember and being designed to facilitate lifting thereof. Said member fis also provided at one end with a strip of wood k, which forms one wallof openings 1, provided in the end of the wood portion of the member.The member g, which is preferably of wood, is provided with reducededges h and a recess 1', like those of the memberf, and is also providedat one end with tongues m, designed to be removably arranged in theopenings Z of member 7" after the manner shown in Fig. 1. Either of themembers f and 9 may be arranged horizontally on the side bars a of themain frame A, and when it is so arranged it will be apparent that thereduced edges h of the member will rest under the arms e of the guidesB, with the result that there is no liability of casual upward movementof the member. It will also be seen that the guides B will hold themember against lateral movement, as will also the bars a of the mainframe A. lVhen the members f and g are relatively arranged, as shown in1, it will be apparent that a block of butter or analogous substance maybe placed on the horizontal member and against the vertical member, asrepresented by dotted lines in said figure.

D is an upright subframe which comprises upright bars 25, arranged atthe outer sides of the frame-bars a and against keys or wedges qthereon, a top cross-bar 7*, connecting the upper ends of the uprightst, and a cross-bar 8, connecting the uprights t at a slight distancebelow the upper ends thereof. On the to of the said subframe is pivoteda horizonta locking-lever E, which has a notch u in its under side andone edge for a purpose which will presently appear. The sub'lrame D isprovided on one or both of its upright bars 25 with an abutment o,designed to serve as a stop with a view of preventing the upright memberof the carrier C striking the cutting wires of the wire frame.

F is the wire frame of the apparatus. The said frame F comprisesuprights w, of wood or other suitable material, having their lower endsrabbeted, as indicated by a, so as to rest against the outer sides ofthe frame-bars a, a lower crossbar 1 fixed in the upper portions of thesaid rabbets and having its outer edge beveled to correspond with theinclined walls of the notches d in the bars a, a rabbeted crown-bar z,fixed on and resting between the upper ends of the uprights w and havingan upwardly-extending stud a, and wires 1), stretched between theuprights w and having for their function to cut the butter, soap, oranalogous substance when the said substance is forced through the wireframe F and the subframe D in the manner hereinafter set forth indetail. The cutting-wires b are connected by screws 0 to one upright barw and are carried over screws d on the face of said bar and are thencarried across the space be tween the two bars w and over screws 6 onthe bar opposite to that first mentioned and are connected to keys f onthe second-mentioned bar, which keys have for their purpose to tightenthe wires and maintain the same in a taut state.

The operation of my novel apparatus will be fully understood from thefollowing description. The frame F, having wires 1) at the desireddistance apart, is placed on the main frame A in the manner shown inFig. 1 L. 6., so. that its cross-bar y rests in the notches c and itscrown-bar z rests on the cross-bar s of the subframe D-and is secured inposition by swinging the locking-lever E, so that the notch u thereinreceives the stud a. The members f and g of the carrier 0 are thenengaged one with the other and are placed on the bars a of the mainframe A, as shown at the right of Fig. 1, after which the block or massof butter to be cut is placed onthe horizontal member and against thevertical member. With this done the carrier 0 is moved toward the leftuntil the upright member thereof brings up against the stop 12, when, aswill be readily apparent, the wires 1) will have cut through the mass ofbutter to a point adjacent to the upright member of the carrier C. Theupright member of the carrier is then disconnected from the horizontalcarrier, and the horizontal carrier is then moved farther to the leftuntil the mass of butter is entirely at the left of the wire frame F andthe subframe D. The upright member of the carrier C is now rengaged withthe horizontal member, and the carrier, with the block or mass of butterthereon, is rocked to ward the right, so as to make the original uprightmember of the carrier the horizontal member and the original horizontalmember the upright member. The carrier with the block of butter stillthereon is then moved toward the right until the wires 1) cut throughthe butter at right angles to the first-mentioned cuts, when, as will bereadily apparent, the butter will be reduced to cubes corresponding insize to the distance between the Wires 6.

For the purpose of making the operation described in the foregoing moreclear I have shown by dotted lines at the left of Fig. 1 the manner inwhich the carrier C and the block of butter thereon are rocked to changethe position of the mass of butter relative to the wires b.

It will be gathered from the foregoing that by operating my apparatus inthe manner described a mass of butter may be quickly and easily reducedto comparatively small cubes, and it will also be gathered that myapparatus is simple and inexpensive, is susceptible of being readilycleaned and kept clean, and embodies no delicate parts, such as areliable to get out of order after a short period of use.

I have specifically described the construction and relative arrangementof the parts embraced in the preferred embodiment of my invention inorder to impart a definite understanding of the said embodiment. I donot desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to the saidspecific construction and relative arrangement of parts, as such changesor modifications may be made in practice as fairly fall within the scopeof my invention as claimed.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s

1. In an apparatus for cutting butter and analogous substance, thecombination with a plurality of cutters spaced apart; of a carriermovable with respect to the plurality of cutters and comprising membersdetachably connected together.

2. In an apparatus for cutting butter and analogous substance, thecombination of a cutter, and a carrier movable with respect to thecutter and having members one of which is movable past the cutter andthe other of which is adapted to be positioned so as to pass the cutterand be then restored to its original position relative to thefirst-mentioned member. h

3. In an apparatus for cutting butter and analogous substance, thecombination with one or more cutters; of a carrier movable with respectto the cutter or cutters, the said carrier .being arranged to rock, andbeing made up of members detachably connected together.

4;. In an apparatus for cutting butter and analogous substance, thecombination with one or more cutters; of a carrier movable with respectto the cutter or cutters, the said carrier being arranged to rock orturn toward the cutter or cutters and being made up of a member having asocket adjacent to one end, and a member having a tongue at one endremovably arranged in the socket of the firstmentioned member.

5. In an apparatus for cutting butter and analogous substance, thecombination with "a main frame, and a plurality of cuttingnected to eachother and arranged to rest against different sides of a mass of butteror the like.

6. In an apparatus for cutting butter and analogous substance, the combnation of a main frame, a subframe rising from the main frame andprovided with a fastening device, a wire frame removably arranged on themain frame and against the subframc and having an appurtenance for theengagement of the said fastening device, and a carrier movable on themain frame and adapted to rock and comprising a horizontal member and anupright member detachably engaged with the horizontal member.

7. A carrier for the purpose described, comprising members provided withcooperating means whereby they are detachably held together at rightangles to each other.

8. In an apparatus for cutting butter and analogous substance, thecombination with a main frame having side bars provided in their upperedges with notches the outer walls of which are inclined, and a subframerising from the main frame and provided with a fastening device; of awire frame comprising uprights having lower rabbeted ends, a cross-bararranged in the rabbets of said ends and having an edge inclined inconformity with the inclined walls of the notches, a crown-bar bearingan appurtenance for engaging with the fastening device, and wiresstretched between the uprights.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

EDWVARD JAMES LUHMAN.

WVitnesses:

A. D. DUNLEAVY, GEORGE F. BRUNS.

